Tragic Overload
by Faded-Myth
Summary: Bunnie Rabbot suffered through one of the worst fates imaginable roboticisation. Wether she was lucky or unlucky to survive it is debatable. The road to recovery was a long one, having to overcome both physical and emotional trauma.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue  
Devastation

Lightening. Ash. Thunder.  
_Gotta run…_  
A sense of desolation and fragmented vision.  
_Gotta keep movin'…_   
Steel. Ice. Fire.  
_Gotta get her back…_  
No time left. No time left at all.  
_Back to Knothole…_

Part 1  
Mission

It had started out like any normal reconnaissance. Get in, find Yardley, get the hell out. It was that simple. The elk had gone missing three weeks prior. It had taken so long to work out where Robotnik was holding him, had taken so long to get the plan together. Now they were finally moving out.  
Princess Sally, leader of the Knothole resistance against the evil tyrant Robotnik, led the fray. One might have thought a woman of royal blood, especially one as young as 15, would have walked with grace and posture, head held high. But Sally's sensibilities were what kept her alive, and it was as she crawled on her hands and knees through the mud and wet branches, moist from the previous nights rain, freezing cold beneath the jacket, her fur splashed with mud, that she thanked the gods that she was more intelligent than that. She moved quickly, her body sliding across the grass, squeezing out of the briar and just inside the final line of trees that marked the end of the Great Forest. She quickly moved to position behind an old, uprooted tree, reaching for the binoculars that hung around her neck. She raised them to her eyes, and within seconds found the spot she was looking for. An old parking lot belonging to what used to be a mall, long since abandoned and left to ruin. It was unguarded. One of the few areas in Robotropolis like it. She raised her left arm to her mouth and spoke quietly into the tiny microphone inserted into her watch.  
"Acorn to Spiky Blue Wonder, come in SBW. Over."  
There was a crackling noise. "Hey! You used my call sign! Alright!"  
"I figured it was quicker to go along with your stupid request rather than spend all day arguing over it. Where are you?"  
"In position Sal. You?"  
"Likewise. And the others?"  
There was a brief silence, followed by static. Then, "Ready when you are sugah!"  
Sally smiled. "Good to hear your voice Bunnie."  
There was the sound of a scuffle over the line. "Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 6. Thees eez your hum-bell servent Antoine here at your serveece my Princess. Mwa Mwa Mwa." Sally's eyes boggled. Was he kissing his wrist?  
"Er…yes Antoine?"  
"I just want you to be knowing my Highness, that we are with you all of the way!"  
"Glad to hear it 'Twan."  
"And I just want you to know that we'll be well behind you. Well behind you, yes, should any dangaire provide itself to be present."  
"Um…that's very reassuring Antoine. Thanks. I think." She took a moment to clear her head. "There's no point wasting any more time. I want you all to move in when I say, OK?"  
There were sounds of agreement from the other ends, followed by Sonics' voice. "You sure your up for the distraction Sal? I mean…you sure you don't want me to do it?"  
"No. I need you to make sure the others get to the loading bay safely. You're the only one fast enough to get past any hover units that might be in waiting. Rotor, you said there were three hover units patrolling 50 meters west from this location, right?"  
"That's right Princess Sally. One of them does a lap that takes it around the old shoe factory, the other two remain stationary by the polo clinic."  
"Good. So long as they don't overlap into our sector I'll be ok. But still, I want to be sure. Just stick to the plan and we should be fine."  
"Rodger Sal." Sonic paused. "Take care out there."  
"You too Blue. I'll be with you in just a small while." She stood and braced herself. "Let's do it to it."

That was the signal they had been waiting for. Sally's voice dropped away, and in the distance they saw her figure, small but distinct, as she ran the distance between the tree line and the old factories. Sonic turned to the others in his group and nodded his head.  
"Here we go. Get ready."  
Sonic the Hedgehog hadn't liked the idea of Sally being the distraction at all. It was usually his job, since he could outrun anything if things took a turn for the worse, which they nearly always did. But Sally had her reasons, and he wasn't going to argue his judgment. The thought plagued at his mind however, as he lifted Bunnie up in his arms. She was slightly heavier than Sally was, being a might more…compact…than Sally, but still light enough to carry. He started to run, the trees around him melting into a green blur, soon replaced by the dark blue of the sky. The buildings around him, foggy gray, almost seemed to melt into his perception as he passed into the city border, through the main streets and into the old factory car park, where he stopped around the back. There was a large rocky wall right behind the building, so there was no way she could be seen unless someone happened to walk this way. He trusted Sally and Rotor's data, and left the rabbit there as he went back to fetch Rotor and Antoine. He approached the tree line just as his wrist radio squealed. It was Sally.  
"Something's not right Sonic…"  
"Whaddaya mean Sal?"  
"There's nothing here."  
"Nothing what?"  
"Nothing anything. There's no hover units, no swatbots, no…nothing."  
"How can that be?" It was Rotor, and he fumbled with his cap nervously. "I tested those readings against some of our older satellite recordings and the patrol lines match up perfectly. The only way they could be wrong is if Robotnik has…"  
"Has what?"  
"Made changes…"  
"Like what? You mean he's just all of a sudden up and changed his patrol routs? Why would he do that?"  
"To catch us off guard, why do you think? Robotnik's no fool. He probably investigates every move we make in the city. Tries to follow a pattern… Maybe he…"  
"Hold that thought Rotor. We can try and figure this out back at the base."  
"What are you talking about Sal?" Sonic asked.  
"I'm calling this whole thing off."  
"But why? Just because of a few missing hover units? That only helps our mission, right?"  
"Wrong. It's a variable we weren't prepared for, and the slightest change in anything could ruin everything. It could be a trap."  
"Everything Robotnik does is a trap. It's never stopped us before."  
"I'm sorry Sonic. It's not worth the risk."  
Sonic felt a little angry, and he slammed his fist against a tree trunk. "But Yardley's still out there…"  
There was silence for a while. Then a snuffling sound. It sounded like Sally was crying. Sonic's expression softened. "Sally, I'm sorry."  
"No, it's OK Sonic. Your right. Maybe we should…" Her voice was cut off by another one, which cut over the radio system.  
It was Bunnie. She was screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2  
Altered State

Bunnie had been standing waiting patiently by the back of the building. She couldn't see Sonic or Sally, but she could hear their voices over the radio system. She waited patiently as the two discussed the problem. No matter what the outcome was, she'd follow whatever order she was given. She secretly hoped they would continue though. She wanted to rescue Yardley. While she waited she hopped up and down, punching the air, practicing some martial arts moves to bide her time and to stay focused. She was tense as hell, and it helped her to unwind. Truth be told she was a little nervous being here on her own, and…  
There was a clanking sound behind her. She turned, and found herself face to face with a Swatbot. She started to scream, but it raised it's fist and brought the back of it's hand across her face, knocking her over, sending her flying, sending the entire world black.

_Brief noise. Wind. Steam. The sound of something mechanical. Bunnie opens her eyes to a world that hangs upside down. She can't move her arms or her legs, but she feels the world spinning. Her vision focuses, and she sees the floor moving beneath her. She is being carried. Carried by a mechanical being. A Swatbot. A stinking, oily, mechanical Swatbot. She wants to pound her fists on its amour but she can't raise her arms. A quick glance reveals they aren't bound in anyway way, nor are her legs. Butthat doesn't change the horrifying fact she can't move them. Was she paralyzed? The Swatbot had only smacked her… It had felt like she'd been smashed in the face with a brick. The sudden weightlessness as her body is thrown into the air… She lands hard, her body hitting the ground with a crunch, her shoulder grazing, bruising. But the ground starts to move, and she realizes it's not the ground at all. Some kind of conveyor belt. She finds herself being pulled into something. Something dark. Something sinister. Something metal.  
There's wind. Something breathing against her fur, pushing it up, blowing it in her face. And then the world is plunged into darkness. The door has been shut. She screams. No one can hear her. Her watch has been broken. The LCD screen is shattered, bits of glass in her fur. A blue light starts to beep. Another one starts to flash. Then there's a hum, and a large green neon light, a circle shape, turns on above her body. Her entire length is bathed in the warm light as the conveyor belt stops. She looks around nervously, whimpering. A giant claw descends slowly from the roof. It stops inches from her face, it's needle-like fingers glancing over her frightened face. It comes down hard, wrapping it's claws around her skull, holding her head tight. Suddenly her arms find their strength and she raises her hands to her face, clutching the steel phalanges and tugging at them. She can't remove it. Two more come down and restrain her arms. She feebly twitches her legs, whimpering as they too succumb to the restraints. Something is humming. She thinks it's the machinery, but it's not. She realizes slowly it's too human to be a machine. Someone is humming. Someone is laughing. Someone finds her situation amusing. In all it's perversity, she laughs too. A short, hysterical giggle that emanates from her throat, croaking out between sobs. She laughs one bitter word.  
"Robotnik."  
"My my my," says the voice. It's low octaves echo within the space of the small, claustrophobic coffin. "Seems we've caught ourselves a rat in our trap."  
"The only rat here is you Robotnik." Her voice is small and weak, barely audible above the metallic hum. But it's there.  
"Rest assured dear Bunnie, that though you can't see me, I can very clearly see you. You won't die alone, dear one."  
"I aint the one that's gonna die Robotnik."  
A circular, metallic cup lowers from the roof of the machine. From within it's center a needle appears. It looks sharp.  
"Your right Bunnie. Your absolutely right."  
The needle comes down to rest above Bunnie's stomach.  
"You're not going to die."  
The needle comes down fast, shredding through her skin, into her flesh. She screams.  
"Yet."  
And then everything lights up like a Mobius Christmas tree... Yellow rings line the walls, and the green glow above her intensifies as the air around her cools down. But her body heats up. Something inside her is boiling. What starts off as an uncomfortable tingle becomes an intolerable spasm as she feels the liquid inside her body become super heated. Water, blood, everything. It heats up, raising fast. She tries to gargle but her dry throat is parched of moisture and she finds herself coughing. And then the needles start to stab her. They puncture her fast, like someone using a typewriter, writing the story of their lives. The two needles by her legs repeatedly stab her lower limbs. Two more make a start on her arms. Soon she's covered in puncture marks, but there's no blood. It's too dry. It starts to clot. But it doesn't matter, because it's about to be replaced. The needles retract, and a long arm descends. At its base is what looks like a metallic orb. A singular optic lens is affixed to it. It hovers above her legs, and starts to revolve. A light shines down on her, and the pain of the needles is forgotten as tiny micro bots, billions of them, hidden within the light photons, chart a course down the energy beam and into her flesh, pervading the entrances made by the needles. They plummet through her body like a skydiver through clouds, tiny super-heated rockets blasting through fur, flesh, muscle and bone, entering the marrow and locking on to her DNA, rebuilding her from the inside out. The lens of the optic eyeball spreads out, covering her entire legs. The fur parts as the metal below destroys her skin, the flesh and muscle is transformed into synthetic alloy. It feels as though someone is constantly hammering her legs with a sledgehammer, relentlessly pounding away without pause. It feels like her legs have been torn into a thousand pieces, like a sun has exploded inside her. It stops, and the needle moves onto her arm. The needle comes down, the eye rotates, and it starts over again. Bunnie's screams are loud, but the sound of the humming, the whir of the machine, and the laughter of the dictator are louder. She can barely hear herself as her arm is torn from it's socket, the bone ripped from the joint as it disintegrates, the newly formed man-made muscles instantly being bonded together by wires and steel bonds.  
She wishes to die. She pleads to the air around her to suffocate her. But instead there is only the whirring of the gears. The awful whirring of the gears. Then she hears it. At first it sounds like just another gear amongst many, that same horrible whirring sound. But she realizes it's different. Whether or not she just wants to believe it's different is of no consequence. To her ravaged ears it's different. That's all that matters.  
And then the light appears. The new whirring sound rips into the room, as does a brilliant, blinding white light, tearing into the very shell of the machine and for a second, just a split second, there is a hint of blue amongst the green. And something else. A large shape. But by then Bunnie's vision was clouding over. She could no longer feel anything, had no idea what had been done to her. All she knew was that she had been ripped apart, and that nothing could save her.  
The blue light talked to her. It called her name. But she didn't care. All she wanted was to touch the white light. To go home. She reaches to it. Asks one last time to end it all. To take her home._

Sonic's feet had never hit the ground harder. He'd never run so fast. Around him the world was a watercolor painting, it's features smeared across a landscape that barely existed as he ran between worlds. He couldn't feel the rain on his face. He couldn't hear the thunder as it cracked overhead, or the foul taste of blood in his mouth. In his mind only one thing existed.  
Gotta run…  
He could barely feel the fragile, broken creature he held in his arms as he ran. Could barely feel the cold stint of metal as the limbs touched his fur. Or her ragged breathe that barely touched his chest, despite her lips being inches from it.  
Gotta keep movin'. Gotta get her back…  
There was no time left for either of them. No time left at all. He just had to get her back.  
Back to Knothole…


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3  
Awakening

The warm sunlight played across Nicole's screen, reflecting the Princesses eyes as she idly scrolled through lines of code and maps. Graphical representations of the inner structures of Robotropolis snaked along her monitor, partially rendered fragments of pieced together data and broken messages skimming vertically in a side bracket. None of it really registered in Sally's mind as she gently chewed on her tongue, her nervousness betraying itself in that one slight action.  
Princess Sally had a right to be nervous. She was sitting outside a hut that served as Knothole's single makeshift hospital ward, and for three whole days the few doctors that Knothole had had been rushing back and forth; frantic, stern faced, and completely out of their league. None of them were prepared to handle a partial roboticisation, least of all a situation where someone had survived the process.  
Now though, there was only silence. There was no sound from inside the hut, no muffled voices or alarmed expressions. And the songbirds that usually graced the village floor were inexplicably absent. The front door opened, and a white-coated physician lurched down the steps to the grass below. He didn't acknowledge the Princess as he walked past, his head buried in files. It wasn't a sign of rudeness. Sally knew the doc was being presented with a case that demanded his full attention. She doubted he'd ever again be faced with such a problematic situation in his academic life. But she needed answers. Or at the very least, an update on her condition. Sally quickly stood and followed the doctor, reaching out and touching his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around and peered at her through his spectacles. A badger, he had the sort of furrowed brow and grave look typical to his species. He could have been in his early twenties and still looked like he'd endured a great many more years of sorrow and hardship.  
"How is she?" Sally asked nervously.  
The doctor looked a little hesitant, then he sighed. "Not good Princess. She's…proving difficult."  
"Difficult how? What is it? What's wrong? Please, you have to tell me…"   
"That young woman's body is battling for supremacy over her synthetic parts right now Princess, and it's losing."  
Sally swallowed, forcing her next question out. "How badly?"  
The doctor hesitated for a moment. He clearly didn't want to tell her. His expression softened a little. "Badly." He turned and started off in a hurry, shaking his head. "I have to go Princess. I'm sorry."  
Sally watched him leave. She sighed. "I understand." It was a comment more intended for herself than anything. Something to force herself to focus on something that didn't incorporate placing the blame on herself.  
"Sally!"  
It was Sonic. He, Tails and Rotor came rushing towards her. Sonic shook his head when he arrived. "Sorry Sal. We came as soon as we got the chance."  
"It's ok. You wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway. They haven't even let me in."   
Tails looked up at the Princess nervously. "Is she gonna be alright Aunt Sally?" he whispered. Sally knelt down and ruffled his hair with her hand.  
"I'm not sure Tails. I really hope so."  
"That poor girl," mumbled Rotor. He shifted his weight awkwardly. He should have been used to these situations, but they still made him feel difficult. A broken gear stick was one thing. A dying Mobian was another. And this was Bunnie…Being left in the lurch for three days…"It kinda makes you wonder if it would have been better if the process had been, you know, completed."  
Sally raised her head. "Don't say something like that," she snapped. "That's horrible."  
Rotor stared at the floor. "I didn't mean it like that Princess," he apologized. "It's just, what's she gonna be like when she comes out of there? I mean, she's lost both her original legs and her arm. She's going to be extremely traumatized."  
"And we're going to help her through it," Sally said firmly. "I think the best thing we can do for now is wait. Keep our minds occupied." She looked at Sonic. "Look, thanks for coming. But there's nothing really new to update you guys with. Bunnie's still under intensive care, and we'd all do well to remember that. She's getting all the care and treatment we can offer her. I know the last three days have been difficult. Sonic, take Tails with you and scout the perimeter of the Eastern regions of the forest. It might be good for you both to clear your heads for a bit." She looked at Sonic pointedly, tilting her head in Tail's direction slightly. Sonic caught the hint, and he flashed Tails a big smile.  
"Your Aunt Sally's right kiddo. I think we should go out for a while. Whaddaya say? Ready to juice and jam big guy?"  
Tails' nodded his head. "I guess." He didn't sound very committed. Nobody blamed him.  
"Rotor?" Sally looked at the walrus, who was fiddling with his cap.  
"Yeah?"  
"Um…go fix something."  
"Yes Ma'ame."  
Sally watched them go off in their separate directions, and stared at the hut window. "As for me…" She sat back down on the bench and rested her hands on either side of her, crossing her legs. "I'm going to wait right here."

A few hours later the door to the hut opened again and another doctor poked his head out. "Princess Sally?"  
Sally looked up quickly. "Doctor?"  
He didn't say anything, but tilted his head in the direction of inside. Sally quickly walked up the stairs. She pulled out Nicole and quickly spoke into her. "Nicole, relay a message to the others, would you?"  
Nicole's lights flashed as she spoke. "As you request, Sally."  
The doctor held out his hand towards Sally's chest. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to switch that thing off. It'll mess with the life support system. And her electronics."  
Sally wasn't very happy at the way the doctor called Nicole a "thing", but she complied.  
"It's just until she stabilizes and we can start to work on her bio-equity levels." It was an unnecessary apology. Sally was aware of the risks of machinery like Nicole being in such close proximity with the sensitive medical equipment the room harbored. She'd been in similar situations before, and had enough first hand experience to understand the precautions.  
The first room inside the hut was fairly sized. It also happened to be the only room. Halfway into it a white sheet had been pulled across a curved rail that had been nailed to the roof. It was stained with speckles of blood. Sally felt uneasy as they approached it. She could see the silhouettes of a couple of other doctors, and a lot of equipment. She also saw something lying on a bed. Something with long ears. A doctor appeared from the other side. He was holding a white blanket. Or at least, it would have been white had it not been saturated with a large amount of blood. He looked at her nervously before walking over to a waste disposal unit and dropping the sheet inside.  
Sally stopped in front of the curtain and took a deep breath. Then she reached up and, hesitantly, pushed it aside and stepped through. What she saw caused a lump to form in her throat, and she raised a hand to her mouth.  
Bunnie lay on top of a metal stretcher that was covered in a white sheet. He face was expressionless as she slept. A breathing mask muffled her breath, and her chest rose slightly with each inhale. Her right arm lay across her stomach.  
Her left arm was a mess. The shiny, chrome steel that replaced the original organic component was dented and burned, and panels were open through which fed numerous wires which were hooked up to monitoring devices, nearly all of which had been taken from various Robotropolis installations on numerous reconnaissance missions. Her mechanical legs were in pretty much the same condition. The Roboticization process worked on a set dual-scale process, replacing the original organic parts of a Mobian with mechanical elements that were nearly double their original size. So Bunnie's cybernetic legs were too large for a stretcher designed for an average sized Mobian, and were partially propped up on stools. They were also slightly too big for Bunnie's comparatively small frame, and she looked a little awkward.  
Sally briefly reached out to touch the metal limb, but recoiled at the chilly sensation. Moving around to Bunnie's side, she sat down on a stool and gently reached out to hold Bunnie's organic hand. It was warm to the touch, her fur slightly frizzy from static. She reached up with a free hand and gently stroked the rabbit's ears, as if trying to keep her comfortable.  
There was a knock on the door, and one of the doctors exclaimed, "Sonic? How…?"  
Sally was surprised to hear Sonic's voice. "Cut the chit chat Doc. Where is she?"  
"Ah…she's behind that curtain, but…"  
There was the sound of footsteps and the curtains pulled back, revealing Sonic. Tails was close at his heels. Sally knew what was going to happen next. As soon as Tails saw the rabbit he burst into tears.  
Sally looked furiously at the hedgehog. "Good one Sonic."  
Sonic looked embarrassed. Thankfully, a doctor came up and took Tails by the shoulders, turning him around to face him. "Come with me little guy. We'll leave the adults alone for a while."  
Sonic waited until Tails had left the building. "That wasn't the smartest thing I could have done."  
"No."  
"I just heard that…"  
Sally sighed. "Forget it. To be honest, I'm glad you're here."  
Sonic pulled up a chair and next to Sally. "Is she alive?"  
"Yes." She shook her head. "Oh Sonic. This is awful."  
"Not…as awful…as it could be…"  
Sonic and Sally both gasped in unison as the rabbit slowly raised her left hand to her forehead. "What in the hoo-har happened?"  
"Easy girl, rest up now. You're still in shock…"  
At that point the rabbit noticed her new arm, and let out a blood-curdling shriek. "NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
She quickly began pawing at her arm, frantically trying to remove the casing she desperately believed held her real limb. Doing so allowed her to spy her legs for the first time and she screamed again, kicking frantically and ripping cords and wires from their holders, sending monitors flying and the stools careening. Sonic and Sally both grabbed hold of Bunnie's limbs, Sonic gripping her legs together and Sally wrapping her arms around Bunnie's cybernetic arm. But the strength of her steel was far superior to their muscle and bone and they were shaken off easily. The panic stricken rabbit flipped out of her stretcher and immediately fell to the ground, where she started to shake violently.  
Sally grabbed hold of Bunnie's torso, trying to keep her in one place, all the while screaming for the doctors to help them. The doctor that had let them in had quickly prepared a syringe and, while Sally managed to maintain her grip on Bunnie, practically launched himself over the patient and injected it forcibly into her upper arm. The sedative took effect almost immediately, and Bunnie's convulsions slowed, before eventually stopping as she succumbed to sleep. Sally lay there, half underneath Bunnie, pinned by her robotic legs. She shook her head, exhausted, and looked at Sonic, who had been thrown back into a cupboard. He'd banged his head hard on the corner and looked a little dazed. "Man," he said. "That girl packs a wallop."  
"Technically," Sally panted. "It was the cupboard that managed to deck you."  
"Do me a favor. Try letting me live that one down."  
"Fat chance of that." Sally untangled herself from Bunnie, and helped the doctors to place her gently back onto the stretcher. Sonic placed an arm around Sally, rubbing her arm comfortingly.  
"Maybe Rotor was right," the princess said sadly. "Maybe it would have been better if the job had been finished."  
The rabbit slept on.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4  
Recuperate

The next few weeks were difficult for the Freedom Fighters. When Bunnie next came around, she had been oddly silent. She had stared at the ceiling for a long time, not saying a word, not acknowledging anyone's presence. She stayed like that for a whole week, before one day eventually asking Sally, who had been by her side the entire time, for a cup of hot chocolate. It was an odd request, one that the doctors had at first been hesitant to agree with. So far Bunnie had been kept alive with nutrients fed through tubes, with some extremely delicate and dangerous surgery merging nerve endings and wires, and they were highly uncertain of how her body would cope with major foreign bodies entering her system. But Sally had immediately complied, rushing to her own hut and fixing up a hot drink and even some chocolate chip cookies she found in a jar and placed on a tray. When she came back, Bunnie was sitting up and was smiling, or at least as much as she could muster. She surprised Sally by swigging the drink down in almost one gulp, and fell on the cookies ravenously.  
"How were they?" Sally asked when she had finished.  
Bunnie smiled, bits of chocolate flake speckling her cheeks. "Like the ones mother used to make."  
"The ingredients were taken from a recipe book that belonged to my mother," said Sally. "She was quite the cook."  
"So ah remember…"  
Sally cleared her throat. "Bunnie, I wanted to talk to you. About the mission. I wanted to tell you that… Oh Bunnie. I'm so sorry. I didn't know about the portable roboticizer. I should have, but I didn't. I…"  
Bunnie shook her head. "Don't you go be blaming yourself Sally girl," she said softly. "We all knew the risks when we went in. We always have every time." She bowed her head sadly. "Guess ah just got a little unlucky."  
"But that's the thing… It shouldn't have happened. We were prepared for every contingency. Swatbots, hover units…"  
"But not portable roboticizers. You can't really run from something like that Sally girl. Once you're inside…"   
Sally shook her head. "We did a full surveillance. We checked the area out to make sure there wasn't any threat… We followed procedure to the letter. We should have known what Robotnik was up to." Her head sank. "We should have known."  
"But we didn't." Bunnie laid a hand on Sally's. "You're not made of magic Sally girl. You can't be everywhere at once. We were as best prepared as we could ever be."  
"But it wasn't enough, was it?"  
Bunnie was silent for a while, her knees folded up under her chin, her arms wrapped around them. "Ah suppose Ah'm gonna be like this forever."  
"Don't say that Bunnie. We'll find a way to turn you back. Why, Rotors working on a way to do it right as we speak."  
"He is?"  
"Of course he is! He got onto it as soon as you were handed over to the doctors. In fact it's thanks to a lot of his equipment that we were able to keep you alive."  
Bunnie smiled. "Ah guess ah'll have to thank that ol' walrus."  
"Don't worry Bunnie. If anyone can fix you up, it's Rotor."

"I'm sorry guys. I'm afraid I can't do it."  
Rotor stared at the floor sadly, fiddling with his cap like he always did when he was nervous. "I've been working constantly on it since we got here, but I'm no where closer to where I was before I started."  
"But…Bunnie was only partially roboticised Rotor," Sally tried. "Shouldn't that make the process easier?"  
"No, I'm afraid it's not that simple Sally. Bunnie's internal structure, the parts that were roboticised that is, has been completely replaced with a synthetic imitative of it's original archetype. Everything that was flesh and bone has been converted to wires and steel. Even her cellular structure has been completely rewritten. I don't think I'm capable of reverse engineering anything this complex." He hung his head. "I don't think I'm good enough."  
Sally rested her hand on Rotor's shoulder. "You did your best Rotor. You are the best. But Robotnik's technology is evil. Figuring out how to combat it is going to take time. I just hope Bunnie can cope living with her condition for the time being."

Later that evening, Sally explained the situation to Bunnie privately.  
"So it's true," she said quietly. "Ah am going to be like this forever."  
"Not forever Bunnie. Rotor hasn't given up. And I know he never will. He desperately wants to see you returned to normal. But it's going to take time."  
"Months? Years?"  
Sally shook her head. "I don't know."  
Bunnie nodded her head silently. "Ah understand."  
Sally could only feel total admiration for the woman who, after the initial shock had worn off, handled her situation with complete dignity and acceptance. She didn't argue, didn't complain. She didn't blame anyone else for what had happened. In fact she had spent the first few moments after regaining her composure telling the Princess not to feel guilty. The young woman was a soldier all right.  
Bunnie raised her robotic arm in front of her and clenched her fist. She listened to the gears inside rotate and whirr. "Rotor's going to tone that down for you so it doesn't make any noise," Sally said.  
"Ah appreciate that." There was a click, and Bunnie's hand started rotating at a rapid pace, like a drill. It caught them by surprise, made them both jump. It stopped abruptly, and after a moment or two of total astonishment, both of them still staring at the now motionless appendage still raised, they each erupted in a fit of giggling. "Well…" Bunnie murmured. "Ah sure as heck couldn't do that before." They laughed again. Bunnie's expression grew coy. "You know, a woman could find a use for this…"  
Sally blushed. "Bunnie!"  
"Ah'm just kiddin' Sally girl." Bunnie's face turned serious again. "I want to thank you Sally. For everything."  
"Oh, it's nothing Bunnie."  
"Oh no. It's everything, sugar." Bunnie leaned over and gave Sally a deep kiss.  
"Well, well, well," said a cocky voice. "You usually have to pay to see this."  
"Sonic!" exclaimed Sally.  
Sonic elbowed Antoine, who was standing next to him with a bouquet of flowers, in the side. "Well Ant? Give her the flowers!"  
"What?" the Frenchy proclaimed. "Oh! Yes! I was just about to be doing that very same thing. Ahem." He walked up to Bunnie and woodenly held out his hand. "Madame Bunnie. Please be taking these roses from me as a token of the getting better."  
Sonic wiped a hand over his eyes. "Ant, wrong hand…"  
Antoine realized his mistake after a minute of detective work, and proffered his other hand, which actually held the bouquet, to Bunnie. "Oh yes. I was just of the getting to that part."  
Bunnie Rabbot looked at the coyote coyly, and reached out and accepted the flowers. "Why sir! Such a noble gesture must not go unrewarded!" She leaned over and kissed the coyote on the nose. Antoine immediately went red. "Ah…if you will be excusing me for this just one minute young lady, I must be of the going." He hurried out of the room.  
Bunnie laughed. "My, my, my. What an impressionable young man that one is."  
"No," said Sonic. "He's just being Ant."  
There was the sound of the door opening, and a young two tailed fox entered the room. "Hey, Aunt Sally! Can I see her? Huh? Huh?"  
"Of course Tails." The curtain was pulled aside some more and Tails walked in, followed by Rotor.  
"Hey there lil' guy!" Bunnie beamed at Tails. "Your Aunt Sally's bin tellin' me how brave you've been." Rotor lifted Tails onto the bed so he could sit eye to eye with Bunnie. She gave him a deep hug.  
"I'm glad your ok Bunnie," Tails said, a little teary. "I still love you, even if you are part robot."  
"Oh mah stars. And ah love you too honey." She hugged him once more.  
Bunnie looked up at Rotor, who once again was wringing his hat between his hands, and reached her arms out towards him. "C'mere you!" She reached up and gave Rotor a warm hug. "Sally told me what you did. Thank you for trying."  
"Oh it was nothing."  
"Sally says you were up for over two weeks without sleep."  
"Oh that's nothing unusual."  
"Well, it means a lot to me anyway." She hugged him again, and planted a kiss on his cheek. The walrus blushed deeper than Tails and Antoine combined.  
Sally rose to her feet. "OK guys. I think it's about time we gave Bunnie some rest. Come along now." They all said their goodbyes, and exited the hut.  
"What do you think Sal?" asked Sonic. "Think she'll be ok?"  
"Hard to say. I hope so Sonic. I really do."  
"She's one heck of a trooper that's for sure. Not many people would go through that and come out the other end ok."  
"Not completely ok, no. We still need to be careful around her. She may be putting on a brave face, but deep inside she's petrified. And lonely."  
"Dangerous combination."  
"That's why I'm having you guys have her under observation for a while. I want someone with her every minute of every day until we're sure she's recovered enough."  
"Wow. Sentimental to rational in under 60 seconds. Now that's fast."  
"Be serious Sonic!"  
"I am being serious!"  
"Oh why do I even bother?"  
"Because I'm fast, handsome, and lovable?"  
"Try lame, thick-skinned, and annoying."  
"Hey! That hurts Princess!"  
"Good."  
"Fine. Be that way."  
"I shall!"  
"Good!"  
"Fine!" Sally stomped her foot down and left in a huff. Sonic scratched his head.  
"Man. That girl's a heck of a lotta work."

The next day, Sally and Sonic found Bunnie sitting on the steps of her hut, enjoying the sunlight. She looked brisk and in good spirits.  
"Hey fellas!" she waved.  
"Someone's up early," said Sonic.  
"When you've spent enough time sleepin' like Ah have…" she yawned, her gaping maw opening wide. "Hoo-ee! Look at me go."  
"How you feeling?" asked Sal.  
Bunnie flexed her robotic arm a little. "Ah have to admit, it is taking some getting used to. But all in all, ah'm actually feelin' pretty darn good. The doctors even tried to help me learn to walk this mornin'."  
"That's right, we did," said a voice behind her. One of the doctors was standing in the doorway. "But within five minutes she was up and trotting around in circles on her own. We had one helluva time trying to catch her."  
Bunnie giggled. "Oh they're just a bunch of ol' slow coaches."  
The doctor turned and shut the door, then walked down and sat next to Bunnie. "Just thought I'd remind you to take it easy today. We don't want you causing too much stress to your limbs just yet. The nerve endings we stitched together are still weak, so it won't take a lot to break them."  
"Ah know Doc," she said. "Ah'll be extra special careful sir." She saluted then.  
The doctor chuckled and shook his head. Then he stood. "She's all yours. Just, try and bring her back before sundown. Ok?"  
The doctor went inside and Bunnie stood up. It was the first time they'd seen her standing up on her own free will since Sonic had brought her back, and even with her bionic legs she was still a hairs breadth shorter than the rest of them. Her long ears towered above them though, moving in the breeze. "So, where are we going?"  
Sonic grinned. "Hungry?"  
"Ravenous like a mean old coyote!"  
"It's a warm, sunny day, and I've got a hankering for some of the ol' chilidogs. Whaddaya say?"  
"Would there be carrots in those chilidogs?"  
"A carrot? In a chilidog? What ever for?"  
Sally leaned across and whispered in Sonic's ear. "She's a rabbit, you idiot."  
"Oooooooooh. Well then sure! Why not? It's Antoine's turn to cook this week. I'm sure he'd do just about anything for you." He howled as Sally's foot connected with his shin. "What did you do that for?"  
"It's OK Princess Sally," said Bunnie with a smirk. "Ah'm interested in what the ol' sugar-hog has to say."  
"Oh come on Bunnie. Ant has the hots for you. The major hots!"  
"You wouldn't be toying with me now would you Mr. Sonic Hedgehog sugar?"  
Sonic laid a hand across his heart and tried to look innocent. "Me? Toy? Never!"  
Bunnie giggled. "Well. We'll just have to go and pay old 'Twan a visit then won't we?"  
Sally shook her head. "Alright, alright. Off you go the pair of you. But don't cause Antoine too much grief. I don't think his toupee could handle it. And take it easy! I don't want you rushing poor Bunnie around too much."  
"I hear ya Princess." Sonic placed a hand on Bunnie's shoulder. "We'll stop off at the market first. Pick up some carrots and take 'em to Twan where he can work his magic. Or disaster, as the case is probably going to be." He started off into the village center. Bunnie turned slightly and waved to the Princess as she departed. Sally waved back.  
Nicole beeped from her slot in Sally's boot. "Jealous, Princess Sally?"  
"What? Never!"  
"Your estrogen levels are highly erratic…"  
"Oh shut up and calculate something."  
"I was doing just that Princess Sally."  
"I meant something else! Ooh! Your as bad as Sonic." She shook her head and walked off to find Rotor.

Sonic and Bunnie never made it to Antoine's. Not far off from the village kitchen they had passed through the center market stalls, where Bunnie stopped off at a vegetable stall to buy a couple of juicy carrots that had been on display. As people walked past, they became aware of hushed comments on Bunnie's appendages. Embarrassed, Bunnie tried to ignore it at first, but then a couple of kids walked past them. They took one look at Bunnie and took off, scared out of their wits. A few more of the braver ones pointed and whispered. Some laughed. They shut up when Sonic glared at them, running off to hide behind their mothers, who whispered in each others' ears.  
Bunnie placed a carrot she was holding back onto it's bench and turned around to face Sonic. "You know what, we don't have to do this Sonic."  
"Hey, I said I'd get you some carrots kiddo. And that's what we're doing."  
"I know. And Ah appreciate it. But…"  
"But nothing. Take no notice of the others. They'll get used to it."  
"Somehow Ah doubt that." Bunnie sighed. "No. It's ok. Ah'm not hungry anyway. Ah think Ah'll just go home, if it's all the same to you."  
Sonic sighed. "Ok Buns. Whatever you want." He walked her home.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5  
Broken Souls

It was later that evening. The Freedom Fighters were enjoying some time out under a tall tree by a river, deep within the Great Forest. Tails and Sonic had been pushing and shoving each other playfully, and it wasn't before long that they both had fallen in. They splashed around for a while as Sally and Bunnie sat beneath the leafy tree and talked.  
"Those boys. I sometimes think they'll never grow up."  
"That's not a bad thing Princess," said Bunnie softly. "Some people grow up up all too quickly. In this world of ours, Ah think we need to hold onto our childhood while we can."  
"Sometimes I wonder what's left of our childhood. I can't really remember the last time Sonic and I were able to do something fun, without the constant fear of being caught or robotic…" she paused and bit her lip. "I'm sorry Bunnie."  
"No, it's ok. No point hiding from it. Ah'm just happy Ah'm still here to talk to you about it. It could have been a lot worse."  
Sally smiled. Optimistic as always. There was a shout from the river. "Hey Sal! Come on in! The water's fine!"  
"I don't think so Sonic Hedgehog!"  
"I don't think you've got much of a choice Sal!"  
"Oh? And why's that?" She shrieked as a wave of water flew through the air and drenched her. "Oh is that how it is, is it? Fine!" She threw her jacket to the floor, removed her boots and ran to the waters edge, where she dived gracefully in. She immediately started pummeling Sonic in the face with her fists.  
Bunnie watched silently from where she sat. The night was cool on her face and her chest. But her robotic limbs felt nothing. She could feel a certain weight to them, and they were built with touch senses that could, in a way, deliver a sensation to her organic body. But it wasn't the same as feeling the air gently brush its invisible fingers through her fur, gliding across the surface and lifting up the tuffs. Grief began to overwhelm her, and her eyes watered as she burst into tears. Her head on her knees, she sniffled into her organic arm. She lifted her head up and looked at the cybernetic limb wrapped around her legs, and a cold feeling of spite and distaste ran through her. In a sudden act of anger she pounded her fist into the ground. It was a sudden, violent act, quite unusual of her character that it startled her. But it had felt good. She could only wish that it had done more damage. Not to the floor but the arm itself. She hated it with every inch of her being, loathed it and despised it. Worst of all she hated the being that created it. The being that had found beauty in mutilating her natural form and altering her life forever. She wished for death for that person, a thought that had never before passed through her mind in regards to anyone. She stood up, feeling too angry to sit and wallow in misery. All she could think about was the monster that had built the machine, that had thrown her inside and destroyed her spirit and broke her down into a screaming mass of misery. Without thinking she turned around and slammed her fist into the tree, punching a hole all the way through the surface and burying deep inside. Her fist was stuck, and she tugged hard to remove it but it wouldn't budge. Fury built up inside her, and she screamed at the tree to release her. When it didn't she kicked the tree hard with her foot. The tree roots erupted from the ground beneath her as the tree was forced away from her, and her hand became dislodged. She kicked the tree again, punching it and breaking away massive chunks of bark and thick branches. She was acting violently and impulsively and she froze, her fist halfway to delivering another blow.  
Oh my God…she thought. What the heck was she doing? This was a tree, it had done nothing to her… Oh God, what if it had been a person? She turned around slowly, her hand held out before her as she stared at it in fear. Terror returned to her as it creeped up her spine and took hold of her brain, and she clutched at her robotic hand with her real one, tugging at it, hitting it. She reached up, started slapping at her arm, hitting it, pounding it with her fist. Then she reached up and grabbed the rim of her arm where the elbow was and yanked hard, pulling at it violently and trying to rip it clean from her body. She screamed in pain as the sensors reacted, intensified and sent shock ripples throughout her. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, violently pulling at her arm, her feet moving back and forth quickly, not knowing where to step and she continued to pull hard.  
There was the sound of movement and a loud cry, and Sonic's body came hurtling from the direction of the river. He grabbed Bunnie from the front, gripping both arms and trying to pry them apart. Sally was next, grabbing her robotic arm with her own and pulling it away. Both of them were wet, however, and it was hard to maintain a grip on the shiny surface. Bunnie lifted an arm and Sally was sent flying through the air. She hit the ground hard but got straight back up and rushed towards the rabbit, grabbing her and helping Sonic pin her against another tree. There they managed to hold her until her petrified anger slowly diminished into distraught wails, and her body let go of its tension and she slumped to the floor sobbing.  
Sally knelt next to the grieving rabbit and rested a hand on her back. "Easy girl. Easy."  
Tails came running up the bank, stopping a short distance away. "Is she OK Aunt Sally?"  
"She's Okay Tails. She just needed to let a few things out. Come on. Help me get her back to Knothole."  
The three carefully helped the rabbit up, Sonic and Sally each taking a side. Bunnie looked at Sally sadly. "Ah'm so sorry."  
Sally shook her head and smiled. "Don't be."  
They walked back in silence.

It was the next evening. Bunnie had refused to come out of her hut, shutting herself away from the eyes of the rest of the village. Sally was sitting with Sonic in her hut, trying to ponder what to do with her.  
"Sonic, I'm worried about Bunnie."  
"We all are Sal."  
"I don't know how she's going to cope like this. She's a strong girl. Stronger than all of us I think. But even so, I'm worried she's not going to handle it…"  
Sonic stood and rested his hands on Sally's arms. "It's going to take a little time Sal. You know that."  
Sally slipped her arms around Sonic and shook her head. "Time never has been very friendly to us. Robotnik's been silent lately, aside from his portable roboticiser… I mean, who knows what he's been planning? There must be more of them out there. What if he's planted them already? The city must be swarming with them. What if we can't keep continue our raids? What if…"  
Sonic pushed Sally back at arms' length, staring her in the eyes. "You gotta stop thinking like that Sal. We'll find them. We'll destroy them. That's what the raids are all about. Sure, it'll be a little more dangerous now but at least we know they're out there. We know what they look like. We can avoid them."  
Sally sniffed a little, then nodded. "Your right." She walked over to a cupboard and pulled a tray out. Inside was a map to Robotropolis. She took it out and laid it on the table. "I need to think for a bit Sonic. Go ask Rotor if he can bring me his label-ma-what-sit. You know, that thing he uses to pinpoint objects of specific interest…"  
"Oh. You mean the Geographical Hexadecimal Subjective Localizing Spectrometer."  
Sally stared at Sonic for a moment. "Sonic, what's that thing you use to erase pencil markings?"  
"Er…that little gray rubber thing?"  
"Yes."  
"Oh. A little gray rubber thing."  
"Never mind. Just go fetch me the Localizer will you?"  
"Already gone."  
Sally watched him leave, then sat down at her table. She placed Nicole on the top, and opened her up.   
"You know," said Nicole. "Sometimes I feel like a big metal clam."  
"Clams have pearls inside them Nicole. You have wires."  
"If I had feelings, I'd be hurt right now."  
"I'm just kidding Nicole."  
"So am I Sally girl."  
"I know."

Rotor was emphatically beating a chunk of metal with a hammer when Sonic arrived at his hut. "Yo Rote. What's goin' on?"  
"I'm just trying to triangulate the relevant area of geometry I need to replace the broken section on this infernal machine here."  
"The what on the what now?"  
"I'm fixing my toaster."  
"Oh. You know, there are ways of fixing things without smashing them."  
"This piece of advice is coming from you of all people?"  
"Your right. It's absurd. Don't listen to me."  
Rotor turned his attention back to his work, picking up a soldering iron and igniting it. "So what's on your mind Sonic?"  
Sonic ran his hand along one of the many benches in Rotors work area, flicking sawdust off the shelf and picking up a weird looking helmet with a tube sticking out of it. "Actually, I'm more interested in what's on your mind big guy."  
"What do you mean?"  
"You've been quiet lately…"  
Rotor chuckled. "I'm always quiet Sonic. You know me. Mr. Anti-social."  
"Yeah, but this is different."  
"I'm not sure I follow you."  
"Well, it seems to me…" Sonic was peering at a weird looking metal bird that was sitting on a large, rusty hinge. He tapped it with it's finger and it tilted forward, startling him. He reached up quickly and straightened it. "It seems to me," he continued. "That you've been avoiding everyone because you feel guilty."  
"Guilty? About what?"  
"About Bunnie."  
Rotor stopped wielding.  
"Look, you did your best with the deroboticizer. You did more than anyone else could have."  
"It's not about that Sonic."  
Sonic looked hard into the Walrus's eyes. They were bloodshot, and weary. He clearly hadn't been sleeping. He shouldn't even be working in a hazardous environment in his state. "You wanna level with me big guy?"  
Rotor sighed. "I can't help it Sonic. I was there."  
"Where?"  
"In the machine. I saw her inside the machine. While you were shutting it down I was inside, staring at her while her body writhed and twisted… I saw her flesh burn… I saw her fur fall away…" Rotor's hands were shaking. His soldering iron dropped to the floor and he staggered back, sitting hard on an overturned bucket. Sonic was instantly by his side. "Take it easy Rote."  
"Hey eyes Sonic… Did you see them? They were everywhere. They were looking at me… pleading for me to stop the machine. Or to stop her…"  
"Stop her? From what?"  
Rotor looked up at Sonic, a look of agony on his face. "Living."  
Sonic's stomach turned. "I know Rotor."  
"You saw?"  
"I didn't have to. It was in her screams. And I think it's safe to say anyone would have felt the same way. You need to realize it aint your fault."  
"I could have done something."  
"That's bullshit and you know it. You couldn't do jack because you had a gun to your head."  
"If I'd been a real man I'd have…"  
"You'd have what? Gotten a hole in your head for moving? You had no choice in the matter Rotor."  
"I put my life before hers."  
"It's no different to how anyone would have been."  
"And if it were Sally?"  
Sonic froze. "What?"  
"What if it were Sally in there? And you had the gun to your head?"  
Sonic stared at Rotor long and hard for while. Eventually he got up, walked to a rack which had numerous instruments hanging from it, took what he needed and headed to the door. He looked at Rotor one last time before he left. "Pull yourself together Rotor. We need you. See you at Sally's."  
He left.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6  
Where Do We Stand?

"But now we're one member less… We've always had to be so careful before… Without Bunnie's help we're going to have to cover even more ground now."  
Sally was sitting on her desk, her legs swinging freely. Around her the Freedom Fighters were assembled. Even Tails was there, though he wouldn't be participating in any of the actual missions, as usual. The only one missing was Bunnie.  
"Who's to say Bunnie can't continue on missions?"  
"I'm not going to risk her in her current state Sonic," Sally said, shaking her head. We don't even know how she's going to function." She walked over to a window and stared outside, rubbing her elbows. "I hate to say it like this Sonic, but I'm also concerned about her emotional stability."  
"How do you mean?"  
"You saw how she reacted last night. She completely fell apart without any warning."  
"The warning signs were there Sally. We all saw them. We just didn't think…"  
"That Ah'd go berserk?"  
Sally and Sonic looked up at the doorway. Bunnie stood there, her hand still on the door handle.  
"No Bunnie, that's not what I meant…"  
Bunnie's expression was clouded, her expression one of subtle anger. Her grip on the door handle tightened. "Then what did you mean?"  
Bunnie's eyes fell on the map in the middle of the room. She got the hint immediately. "Ya'all planning a mission…" He voice lowered. "Without me."  
"It's just that we can't be sure of how you'll hold together out there Bunnie. You know how stressful those missions are. You're on edge the whole time, wondering if the next step is going to blow your cover. I don't think your minds ready for it. We don't want you to come with us."  
Her sentence ended abruptly as the door ripped from it's hinges beneath Bunnie's pull. With one hand she smashed the portal into the wall, sending a big crack running through it. She stood there for a moment. "Right. At least ah know where we stand."  
She dropped the door, and walked off into the night.

The mission didn't happen. Sally gave it a lot of thought that night and decided that a show of solidarity was far more important than another small victory. That solidarity would be conducted with continued emotional support for Bunnie. She'd apologized the next day for her outburst, and even helped Rotor fix Sally' door. But it was apparent that her current mental condition still wasn't anywhere near stable enough to risk shaking her up any further. Besides, heading out with such divided thoughts would lower morale and critically endanger the safety of the Freedom Fighters.

Later in the day, Sally found Bunnie standing outside her hut.

"Looking for me?" she asked.

Bunnie smiled a little. "Just wanted to apologize."

"Forget it. You've apologized like 6 times already. Let's just chalk it up to awareness, shall we? Besides…" She rapped on her door with her knuckles. "It's as good as new." She took a grip of the door handle and tried to open it. It was stuck. "In fact…" She gripped the handle with both hands and planted a foot on the door and gave it a shove. "It's even better…" She strained on the door handle, planting her shoulder on the door and pushing. "…than it was _before_!" Smiling, Bunnie planted a hand on the door, and gave it a tiny push. The door swung open, sending Sally falling inside. The squirrel brushed herself off and stood up. "Like I said. Good as new. Even opens the right way this time. Forwards. Not backwards."

"Antoine never did make a good carpenter."

"He's not a great cook either."

Bunnie smiled, tracing her fingers along a dresser. "Oh, well, that's all part of his charm."

Sally smiled at Bunnie discretely. An idea struck her. "Say, Bunnie, wanna go for a walk?"

Bunnie brightened visibly. "Well sure! I don't got nothin' planned for the rest of today that's for sure." She darkened a bit. "'Cept maybe bitch abut this arm some more."

"Um, well, ;et's get going then, shall we?" Sally said quickly.

"Now?"

"Sure. Why not? The day's warm, the sun's out, and, well, it's warm and sunny. Yeah. Perfect for walking in. What with the sunny warmth and all."

Bunnie stared at Sally out of the corner of her eyes. "You wouldn't be all hiding something from me now would you, Sally girl?"

"Since when did I hide anything from you Bunnie?"

"Well, there was last night."

"That…was a completely _different _situation. This is something else entirely. Uh, that is, in that there is nothing that I am hiding. From you. At all." She took a deep breath. "Tell you what. Just let me grab Nicole. I think I left her under my pillow. I'll meet you outside."

"Under…your pillow?"

"Yes. She wouldn't keep quiet. So I had to silence her. Yes."

"Alright.Whatever you say girl." Bunnie turned around and let herself out, closing the door behind her.

Sally walked over to her bed and pulled Nicole out from under her pillow, opening her up.

"_Hurt, Sally. Hurt."_

"Oh it was only for 6 minutes Nicole."

"_You slept on me._"

"Well, I was tired."

"_Your head is huge. And heavy._"

"Yeah? And you're a brick."

"_I could have dented."_

"I would have had Rotor bang you back into shape." Her eyes bulged and a hand went to her mouth. "OH NO! Wait! I…!"

Nicole started to purr. "_Oh really?_"

"Oh God. Your naughty Nicole. Be quiet or it's back in the box you go."

"_I'll be good Sally._"

The typical banter over with, Sally turned to the more serious matter. "I need to know what Antoine's chores are for today Nicole. Could you bring up his worksheet please?"

"_Of course Princess._" Nicoles screen turned a faint blue, and the sensor above the monitor emitted a holographic projection of a spreadsheet with some numbers and data on it. "Alright. Good. Thanks Nicole." The hologram deactivated.

"_Do you have something planned for Mr. D'Coolette, Princess Sally?_"

"Actually, I have something planned for both him and Bunnie. If I'm lucky, I might be able to settle two birds with one stone."

"_Don't you mean kill, Princess?"_

"You know I don't like to phrase it like that. Besides, I'm not out to kill Antoine." She stared at her roof. "Though sometimes I'd bloody well like to."

"_Remember the time he barged into your room when you were playing Chess with Tails, dressed only in his underwear?"_

"I try not to, Nicole."

"_And the adult magazines he was waving around…"_

"_Yes _Nicole. I remember. All too clearly."

"_He smelled slightly of beans."_

Sally stared at Nicole. "How did you know that? You don't have a nose?"

"_You mentioned after the event that he smelt of a certain sticky goo that I can only identify as ground beans, Princess Sally. Unless there is something you're not telling me, I must identify it as the closest substance I can think of." _There was silence for a minute.

"You ok Nicole?"

"_I think I just figured it out."_

"You have my sympathies."

"_You mammals are gross."_

"I love you too Nicole."

Sally closed the front door carefully, trying not to jam it. At the bottom of the steps, Bunnie was shielding her eyes with a hand, to stop the suns glare. She was looking out over the tree tops.

"Something wrong Bunnie?"

"Just thought ah saw somethin', is all." She shrugged. "You sure took your sweet time."

"Sorry. Was just explaining a few things to Nicole."

"Isn't that meant to be the other way round?"

"Yes. But there's a few things that Nicole isn't too clued in on…"

"_Beans!" _Sally's left boot rasped.

Bunnie stared at Sally's foot, wide-eyed. Then she looked at Sally. "Did Nicole just say… 'Beans'?"

"Er, no. She said 'Jeans'. She thinks I should try wearing some in winter. Prevents crotch freeze."

Bunnie blinked. "Good advice."

Sally shook her head. "Uh, let's get moving, shall we?"

Bunnie nodded, her expression not even bothering to try and hide her befuddlement. "Yeah. Lets."


End file.
